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Bronywyn
The wards scream in my head, and I shoot up out of the bed, panic-fueled adrenaline making my already-slowed-by-sleep movements shaky.
Tarnley sits up alongside me. “What is it?”
“Someone’s here. A lot of someones.” Every hair on the back of my neck stands on end as I throw the covers off my legs and rush toward the door without giving two shits that I’m barely covered in one of Tarnley’s t-shirts. The door opens soundlessly, and I step into the hall, just as Delaney is running toward me from down the hall, Cole behind her.
“Fun wake-up, huh?” Delaney whispers. She raps on Rainey and Elijah’s door.
“Nothing like a ward alarm,” I retort.
The bedroom door opens, and both hunters peer out into the hall, still half-asleep since the ward alarms are only going off for Delaney and me. Rainey takes one look at us, and her expression morphs from irritation to understanding. “Let me get my gun.” She disappears, then reappears seconds later, firearm in hand. Elijah steps out behind her with a blade, and together, we all make the descent to the living room.
Magic permeates the air around us, Delaney and me magically preparing for the fight that likely awaits us downstairs. My heart pounds, adrenaline pumping.How the hell did they find us?It has to be the council, there’s too much magic for it not to be.
Tarnley blurs past us, appearing at the bottom of the stairs right before us. The silver dagger in his hand glints beneath the hallway light.
We rush into the living room, weapons out and ready for the assault. But the moment our intruders come into view, we all stop in our tracks, completely silent as we face the near-dozen fae glaring back at us.
“Fuck,” Rainey says, voicing what we’re all thinking. If they’re not friendly, we’re massively outmatched.
A dark-haired man stands in the center and turns slowly with a smile.
We all lower our weapons.
“For fuck’s sake, Ridley. Call next time,” Elijah snarls.
“I thought I was welcome. After all, I am the one who found this place.”
Relief overtakes my fear. “You are, but the wards didn’t recognize your friends. Which is why I couldn’t sense that they weren’t the enemy.”
He smiles and glances back at the ten other fae standing in the living room. They put their weapons away. “I mean, they probably aren’tallfriendly. Looking at you, Isaac.”
A man with long, blonde hair and a massive scar on the side of his throat grins. “Depends on the occasion. I can beveryfriendly in some cases.” He winks at Delaney and Cole growls, moving to stand beside his mate.
She links her fingers with his then turns back to the impossibly beautiful men and women standing before us, all wearing dark green armor and carrying massive swords.
“Didn’t I tell you guys that life with these supernaturals is never boring?” Ridley asks, gesturing to us.
“Not when you’re popping in at all hours of the night and setting off wards,” Rainey replies, dryly. “Still, it’s good to see you.”
His grin spreads. “That’s more like it.”
Footsteps echo above us as someone rushes toward the stairs. We all turn, expecting to see Drexel when, instead, Rachel appears at the bottom, eyes wide, gun in hand, trained directly at Ridley’s chest.
The fae disappears, reappearing directly behind her. “And just what are you doing here, gorgeous?” he asks, tone low.
Rachel stiffens, her entire body going rigid, though I can’t decide if it’s due to the fae’s proximity or something completely different.
Rainey rolls her eyes. “Calm down, Ridley. You met her before.”
He moves around to stand in front of her, and my friend lowers her weapon to glare up at him.
“I know who she is,” he says, not bothering to look at Rainey as he addresses her. “What I am asking is why the hell she’s here?” He looks angry, which, of course, makes absolutely no sense. Why the hell would the presence of a human piss him off? He already knows about Deissy and Felix, and then there’s Paloma, of course. Why is Rachel any different?
“She’s here because she wants to help,” Rachel snaps.
“She’s being targeted by the council,” Tarnley offers.
